Jaime Koller first worked in a flower shop over 29 years ago. She was newly married, trying to make ends meet and doing the grunt work, but she loved working with flowers. Even after she left, bought a print shop with her husband and became a success in the printing business, her flower shop experience was one she never forgot.

The Dream Lives On

So how did Jaime go from small town print shop mogul to the owner of Sweetbriar Floral & Gifts? It began three to four years ago when the city began expanding and making improvements to the road. Several businesses were bought out and closed up for the construction, and the local flower shop was one of those. It’s owner, Misty, continued her work in the floral industry but at a shop located over 20 minutes away.

Fast forward a few years, and Jamie and her husband decided to sell the print shop and explore other opportunities. After more than 20 years in the printing business they had accomplished everything they set out to accomplish.

They were driving through town looking at real estate when Jamie off-handedly mentioned that somebody should really open a flower shop as one hadn’t been in the area since Misty closed hers down three years previously.

Her husband was well aware of Jaime’s love of flowers and how much she had enjoyed working in that flower shop so many years ago. He immediately started looking for a building to make her dream a reality.

The Pieces Fall Together

They found a building without any trouble, but Jamie needed more than just a location to get started in the floral business, certainly if she wanted to be successful. After all, Jamie had worked at a flower shop before, but she knew she wasn’t a designer by any means. She was going to need someone with long-time floral experience to compliment her business savvy. And that’s when she reached out to Misty.

“Misty was the key piece of this puzzle,” Jamie says. “Without her, we couldn’t have moved forward.” As it turned out, Misty was tired of her 20 minute commute and was thrilled for the opportunity to work close to home once again. Now with Misty and her 22 years of floral experience on board, it seemed the shop was finally ready. And then one more important opportunity came knocking.

Just as they were putting the finishing touches on everything, Jamie heard that Zurawski’s Floral, a flower shop across town, was closing its doors. The owner was retiring and looking for someone who might be interested in her customer list. Jamie was quick to act. Now, finally, she had the pieces in place to create a successful shop.

A Full-Service Flower Shop

As of April 1st, the doors of Sweetbriar Floral & Gifts are open and welcoming to anyone with an interest to walk through them. Jamie and her staff are prepared to tackle any project and their excitement is palpable, even over the phone! So if you’re in the Plover, WI area, stop by and say, “Hi.” They’d love to see you. And if you’d like to pick up some beautiful, fresh-cut flowers while you’re there, well, that would be fine too.

It’s the monthly blog spotlight, and we’re back with yet another content-rich blog for you! We scour the internet every month to find a florist blog that provides both good content and valuable ideas. This week we’d like to introduce David Levine of Central Square Florist in Cambridge, MA. Here’s a very informative post to wet your whistle.

THE RUSTIC HOLIDAY TABLESCAPE DIY

Whether you are hosting a celebration or visiting as a guest this holiday season, make it beautiful with flowers. Let us help you find ideas for how to create the perfect holiday interior with our DIY Tablescape recommendations. This is the final of our four tablescapes we will be featuring this month, the Rustic Tablescape.

To create this table, you will need:

• A beautiful centerpiece
• Baby’s Breath
• Evergreen Branches
• Willow Branches
• Burlap fabric
• White tulle fabric
• Twine
• Mini candy canes
• Strands of mini white lights
• Candles
• Scissors

Bringing the snow and evergreens inside will make your house feel like a rustic cabin in the woods. We use tulle and burlap to emulate these textures and lights to create a dreamy landscape that will help your guests get into the winter spirit. If you are not setting your table this holiday, you can bring a host gifts that will fit with the decor.

To make the table runner, we took a long piece of burlap, roughly 1.5′ wide and cut it to fit our table lengthwise. We lined the sides of the burlap with tulle and used twine scissors to create a scalloped look along the edges. We used a variety of candles to add drama and richness to the setting. Wrapping the candles in fresh evergreens helps make them pop off of the table. Down the center of the table, we placed a gorgeous centerpiece which uses a variety of fresh flowers mixed with evergreens, willow branches, and wood to compliment the tablescape perfectly.

Using twine to tie the napkins, we placed a sprig of evergreens, a sprig of Baby’s Breath, and two mini candy canes. The evergreens add a touch of green, the Baby’s Breath compliment the tulle and add a feminine note, while the candy canes add a punch of color and whimsy.

Central Square’s Golden Holiday Centerpiece would be the perfect arrangement to accompany this rustic tablescape. Check out our selection of hand picked holiday flowers and gifts to find the perfect centerpiece for your table or a beautiful arrangement to present to the host.

Don’t forget to enter our Pin to Win Holiday Contest and follow us on Pinterest.

Also see our holiday video, which features this tablescape!

Big on DIY

What an excellent example of a DIY post! It was both informative and entertaining, and I especially enjoyed the video. But that’s not all David has to offer on his blog. He also ran a Valentine’s Day contest and posted some gift ideas for those still looking for the perfect item for their significant other.

If you’re in the Cambridge, MA area, you definitely need to see what Central Square Florist has to offer. But even if you’re not, you can still get some excellent and useful information!

Are you a florist with a blog that you’d like to see featured? Leave us your information in the comments below!